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Empire Star Jussie Smollett went to the Chicago authorities and faces a criminal charge of disorderly conduct / filing a false police report following her alleged attack last month.
Anthony Guglielmi, spokesman for the Chicago police, confirmed the news via Twitter on Thursday. A press conference is scheduled to be held at the Chicago Police Headquarters at 9:00 am, at which time Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Central Area Detective Commander Edward Wodnicki will inform the journalists of the investigation prior to the appearance of Smollett in court.
On Wednesday, Chicago police announced that the actor was now officially considered a suspect in a criminal investigation for filing a false police report, a class 4 crime. A Cook County grand jury has since dismissed an indictment and Smollett faces up to three years in prison if found guilty. At the time of the announcement, the Chicago authorities would be in contact with the Smollett legal team to "negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest. "
Smollett's lawyers responded with a statement: "Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, especially when an investigation such as this one has been disclosed and information both true and false, have been disclosed. In these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and put in place an aggressive defense. "
Smollett was the alleged victim of an attack in Chicago last month, during which two men allegedly approached the actor / singer and started launching racist and homophobic insults. According to the initial story, the two men beat Smollett, poured a chemical (probably bleach) and tied a neck knot to his neck before he ran away. Smollett also told the police that the assailants "shouted for" Make America Great Again " [MAGA] comments "during the attack.
Subsequent developments cast doubt on Smollett's story, including the interrogation of two suspects – two Nigerian brothers, one of whom was a personal trainer of a Smollett music video – who were later released without charge. Smollett's lawyers insisted that the actor had not played any role in his attack, and 20th Century Fox, producers of Empire, lined up behind him, denying information that his role in the series would be reduced in light of the controversy: "Jussie Smollett continues to be an accomplished professional on the set and, as we have already stated, he is not writing show. "
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